For the fourth consecutive year, Alvantia has participated, as Gold Sponsor, in the Receivables Finance International Convention (RFIx), a key event in the trade finance sector that this year celebrated its nineteenth edition at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London. (more…)
As we saw previously in the first post, Fintechs (business players that combine ICT and finance) undoubtedly offer multiple advantages to consumers by positioning them at the heart of financial products and services. However, some concerns are arising with regards to regulation, supervision, compliance and security.
There is a symbiotic relationship between payment methods and economic activity: the evolution of means of payment has historically favoured economic development, and similarly, the evolution of economic activity has led to the modernisation of means of payment.
Cash is the most popular means of payment worldwide, used in 85% of all transactions. However, despite the overwhelming prevalence of cash as a payment method, it is slowly declining. And that 15% of non-cash transactions (9.1% credit/debit cards and 4.6% direct debits/bank transfers) is where a disruption is now occurring which will affect the entire means of payment system.
What are Fintechs and how do they affect the consumers of financial products and services? Although the term has become popular in recent years, it originated two decades ago, when new Internet-based payment systems started to emerge. For example, Paypal, founded in 1998, has been considered as one of the first Fintechs.
